Due to their widely ranging mechanical properties and their ability to be relatively easily machined and formed, plastic foams and elastomers have found wide use in a multitude of industrial and consumer applications. In particular, urethane foams and elastomers have been found to be well suited for many applications. Automobiles, for instance, contain a number of components, such as cabin interior parts, that are comprised of urethane foams and elastomers. Such urethane foams are typically categorized as flexible, semi-rigid, or rigid foams with flexible foams generally being softer, less dense, more pliable, and more subject to structural rebound subsequent to loading than rigid foams.
Urethanes (or more accurately for polymers, polyurethanes,) are formed when isocyanate (NCO) groups (or A-side reactants) react with hydroxyl (OH) and other active hydrogen groups (or B-side reactants). Specifically, a carbamate linkage (or urethane bond) is formed upon the reaction between an isocyanate group and a hydroxyl group. The polyurethane polymer-forming reaction occurs between substances with more than one isocyanate group per molecule (or A-side reactants) and substances with more than one hydroxyl or other active hydrogen group per molecule (B-side reactants). The most common method of polyurethane production is via the reaction of a polyol (a B-side reactant) and an isocyanate (an A-side reactant) which forms the backbone urethane group. A cross-linking agent may also be added. Depending on the desired qualities of the final polyurethane product, the precise formulation may be varied. Variables in the formulation include the type and amounts of each of the reactants.
Although vegetable-based polyurethane foams have been used in various polyurethane foam markets, the use of vegetable-based polyurethane foam has not gain acceptance in industries, such as the automotive industry. For example, vegetable-based polyurethanes have not been able to meet specification requirements for use in automotive interior components.
Thus, there is a need to provide a high quality polyurethane product made from a relatively high level of bio-based raw materials.